Happy monday folks.

A quick update for those that have not picked it up from the home page.

Both walls are now open slightly longer hours weather permitting from 6am and close about 6pm
Work on the east progresses and jet washing is nearly done. Once the holes are filled and wires repaired Mark will be able to fully open the EAST WALL.

West Extension will be a little longer as there are quite a lot of repairs needed as well as the obvious jet washing.

And finally some good news fore the tourists & bad news for the anglers A MACKEREL WAS CAUGHT and videoed on the east today …chaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggggegeeeeee
Thats it for today, tight lines all and I bid you all ADIEU
F

As the title says I have been a bit remiss with the lack of updates so, to rectify that I will hammer straight into it and pee 70 odd ppl off straight away. !

Sorry folks but it has been decided to delay the squid comp this year until the AUTUMN and will move this year onto the WEST WALL.
There, that ripped the sticky plaster off and binned it eh!

Unfortunately the early spring weather has been quite disruptive and kept the local waters quite coloured. Now some of the wise heads out there will no doubt tell me that squid actually don’t mind hunting in murky water and I would agree with them providing that there was plenty of food to be had by them and that is the pain of it. The coloured water has meant that the April run of mackerel up from the bay of Biscay reached Cornwall recently in its deeper waters that Ive no doubt are clearer that what we currently have had off the Sussex coast! With those early mackerel are very often good numbers of herring that also like to feed(like Mackerel) in somewhat clear waters & that we dont have.

I took some time messaging various people that have a close eye on the water and general conditions and I agree with a couple who pointed out to me that the squid comp has run once at the end of May on suitable tides and a couple of times in mid May. This is true but also we have had by this time the early run of mackerel/herring under way to encourage the squid in to feed and get “jiggy”.

Now, while that run hasn’t happened it may yet do so hence a couple of suggestions to utilise the back up date 2 weeks later but that then means taking a leap of faith that not only will there be suitable food inshore but also that the squid are by then still feeling amorous ! 🙂 With current conditions as they are I don’t feel it and would hate to set up the comp with a date and chance that they will show, usually they are in full flow now but other than some cuttle shells washing up on local beaches there is little sign of anything occurring in our Sussex waters, even the clusters of early eggs from cuttle or squid are missing from our beaches. Thus its been decided to move the event to and Autumn date (TBA) which most likely will be a daytime into early night event on the WEST WALL.

Righty ho, what is happening on the Marina? March and April so far has been a mix of storm blows and a day or two of clear weather making progress on the EAST wall slow regarding repairs of posts and wires ad severe blows have rendered wire fixes and even one post replacement a little pointless as they had to be redone. Frustrating for the guys trying to complete repairs and frustrating for Mark who is trying to get both walls back open fully.
Im told the EAST is open to about 38 but officially Ive only been told bay 36. Jet washing is happening but not being down there daily I can’t say how often as Dave has either been doing it himself or organising it around the help that Phil(pieman) is giving him. I think I will give dave a ring Mon or Tues to get a clearer picture of progress so I can post up an up to day idea of how, when why etc.

On the fishing front things are a little slow on the summer species front. The water has stayed stubbornly very coloured and is only just this week showing signs of calming and clearing. Northerly’s for the next week should also go some way to clearing the water.
Im hearing there are some Mullet on the waterways but not yet being caught on the marina. mainstay this week seems to have been mostly small plaice, a few bass in the usual places and for the usual people. Its worth keeping an eye on the regular bass anglers and having a little patience if you want to target them.
Congers have been had on the EAST mostly and one or 2 show on the west wall quite often , maybe its the water colour maybe its just “their time” atm. There are still some whiting about but I suspect they will soon depart as the water cleans itself up.
With air temps and a North wind things are a bit chilly out there but in a way that may be a good thing as its looking quickly like ideal for spring herring ! They do tend to come in just before or just after the high water marks so worth carrying some small hook feathers or rigs like sabiki’s. Will the spring mackerel arrive on the bigger tides at the end of the month ? good question and all I can say is possibly, but one of the wardens mentioned today that it looks like the may rot is starting to form ! sods law as we wait for the fishing to improve.

Have I missed anything ? yup, I avoided until now mentioning Dogfish ! yes the darn things are still around but the numbers are thinning and there have been some rays caught over on the east over the sands so its not quite all winter fishing still.
it looks like this week will be a calm one with both walls still on 7am til 5pm and I hope to get a chat with Mark about plans to open a bit longer now the light levels have improved.
New squid date will be announces in the coming months as well as a rescheduled plaice comp, bream comp and possibly a bass comp.

Thats all for today, any questions email using the link at the bottom home page or find me on messenger. And with that I will bid you Adieu
F

So a quick update for anyone still reading this blog 🙂 I’m told there are at least still two of you :).
Both walls opened yesterday, The WEST up to the gate of the toilet block and the EAST was or is OPEN to bay 36.
Unfortunately the coming week is looking crap but the walls are open today and Monday and the EAST is hoped to have open Tuesday weather gods allowing.
From Mon night close the west will then stay closed all week as a blow pushes through. This also means that from Tues shut time on the EAST both walls will be shut for the rest of the week.

So that’s the boring bit done , what’s going on on the fishy front?
The EAST for its 1st day open fished quite well by I guess current standards. The water is still coloured but the brown stain has now turned to a dark green stain, sadly it will be brown again come next weeks end!
Species caught on the EAST included Plaice (most undersize) whiting surprisingly few dogfish (yay)and even a schoolie bass or two had. The Congers wer in decent numbers no doubt due to the free run they have had on that side with no one fishing.

Over on the facebook group Lee Townsend posted a decent day report with his two young lads getting in on some conger with the best over 10lb.
I will repeat his words here>>
Fished the east arm with the boys today. Was great to be back out on there. Massive thank you to the guys for getting the wall sorted. We had a mixed day of whiting. Small plaice, dog fish and some congers. Lost a monster conger at the surface but that’s how it goes some times . But my middle son managed to catch and bring to the net completely solo his first double figure conger at 10lb 7. So we’ll chuffed for him and my youngest had one at just under 7 lb which again he bought to the net totally unaided. Very proud dad moments.
Would also like to say a huge thank you to the guy that helped me get and secure the 10lb eel in the net . Think we would have lost it without your help.

Over on the WEST the story was very similar but quite a few less fishing that side I guess most took advantage of the Easts 1st day open.

I will also add here a reminder about fish sizes as the subject was very quickly raised in the evening on one of the fishing groups (didnt take long eh) a concern about people keeping undersized fish , in this case conger straps that they felt were undersized.
Please 1st check the “size reg” page on this website for recommended sizes as posted by Sussex IFCA. Once you are sure of sizes and still concerned there are 2 options that are obvious.
You can either engage with the angler, a simple hello to your neighbour often works wonders as an ice breaker, have a chat with them, they may not even be aware there are controls in the UK as many other countries have no size limits.
Obviously a chat is the simplest route but not always a safe option so, if you are not comfy chatting with them please find a way to contact a warden.
A call to the shop can get them alerted, FB message myself (frank) or any of the marina group mods, Mark and Nick are on FB so there are ways to alert us to any issues.
I hate posts on FB complaining about something that happened once the person is home. By then it is too late and while letting the wardens know there may be a problem for them, 6+ hrs after it happened is too late to do anything about the problem. Please help us to help you, we cant sort an issue unless we know about it at the time.
Anyhooo thats it from me today, weather situations and changes will get posted as soon as I get the info so for now from me it is ADIEU
F

OK so, the update most have been waiting for regarding the EAST WALL and when will it be ready.

The EAST is NOW ready to open this week. Unfortunately both walls will be closed WED & THURS
Friday is a possible, but not definite on the east and will be confirmed by Mark in a day or two as we are watching the weather closely and it seems like it “don’t wanna play nice”
Once open like the WEST both will open 7am til 5pm initially with the east access from bays 1 to bay 36 as there is still more work to do.
WEST WALL will be closed WED & THURS and maybe shut FRI.
So far SAT & SUN look ok for the WEST
SAT looks good for the EAST SUN will call nearer the time.

Many thanks to David Grinham and Phil(the pieman) for getting the wall in shape

Catch wise fairly limited on coloured water & mostly dogs and small plaice
Thats it for now
I will bid you all ADIEU
F

The Water is still very coloured and brown looking, as a result the “Spring” species are somewhat limited atm on the west.
The WEST is currently open daily from 7am til 5pm and hopefully Dave is progressing with the work on the EAST this week and night fishing is still to be organised.
I took a walk along the west on Saturday as I was in the marina and there seemed a fair few out in the sun taking advantage of the wall being open.
As I said earlier the species were somewhat limited with mostly dogfish that seemed to be somewhat ravenous and were about in good numbers making the fishing quite easy for many.

Now, I often hear people say when asked “what ya caught” reply with a common phrase … Just Bl**dy dogfish m8. Well for a change i’m going to stick up for these much picked on fish. They may well be a pain to get off the hook sometimes and they may be a pain when it comes to skinning them but IN MY VIEW they are actually not bad to eat and quite versatile. Many Spanish hotels serve them up (granted they are a bit larger than what we get in the UK,) often sliced in a cross section and served with a large variety of sauces. In the UK I often hear people use dogfish in the same manner as scampi and cut into chunks and battered. If you are feeling really adventurous here is something dead simple to do with it.

Cut the flesh into small chunks, heat a pan with some butter and quick fry the flesh, add flour to the pan and stir so it makes a roux (a flour /butter paste) and add cream(if you are feeling extravagant) or milk to make a white sauce. season the sauce as u wish lightly. serve with rice.
If you want to play posh, make the sauce with single cream and add a shot of pernod ! trust me its gorgeous, try it and thank me next time you see me on the wall 🙂
Right, I mentioned dogfish caught on the wall, anything else I hear being asked ?
Well the plaice have done ok over the last few days of being open as well. As some of the regulars to the banjo groyne area of Brighton beaches will tell you there are tons of plaice out there. On the beach they are being reported on some days by anglers of coming up in double and triple shots.
Now, dont expect this catch rate on the west as the sand patches for plaice to lurk are fewer than along the beaches. That said there have been ok numbers of plaice being caught although a good number are somewhat marginal in size and have little flesh on them.
The Msl for plaice seems to have changed recently and I am grateful to “WARREN HAYES” for alerting me to the size change when it was incorectly posted to the marina group. Why they reduced the size I don’t know but its now inline with flounder at 27cm
When on the wall I have always made a point to anglers regarding small fish. While many are within the “legal size to take” my input has always been to ask the angler
“DO YOU think that fish is big enough to make a decent meal? “
Its a simple question, but often overlooked. Fish management is not just down to those that make the rules, it is also down to us, those that catch the fish.

Now I realise there is the old stand by of “BUT THEM commercials take everything”
well I am firmly in the camp of fish better, fish sensibly, fish responsibly. It is we, or us the anglers that know the rules and claim to know better that lead the way and teach the young and the novice anglers out there. So it is up to us to do our bit to show others the way to go, take what you need, stick to sensible sizes and spread the word. It may only be a small dent but stocks are falling and I think its time that recreational angler not only were more aware but were also more responsible and in some little way did a little to help preserve falling stocks and maybe speak up when we can, over fish and waste is not just the fault of commercial fleets and as anglers I think we have a responsibility to look after what we have and to pass on that need to fish better and to fish responsibly.

I realise the last section may seem like me preaching but I think its important that anglers realise we need to be SEEN by the public to be responsible anglers and I don’t just mean just picking up litter where we fish.

The public often have a poor image of anglers because they leave litter on beaches, leave tackle to harm kids and dogs on beaches, dead fish like dogfish get dumped almost anywhere(i once saw a bag of rotting mackerel in a layby 40 miles from any beach !)
For anglers that fish the marina the biggest thing we can do to improve the image of anglers is such a simple thing, it often gets overlooked when in a rush to get the rod & line back over the side into the water and that is all down to fish care and respect for what we are catching.
Anglers forget that once landed we have a LIVING CREATURE in our hands or on the floor, leaving the fish to flap around on the floor is the worst image we give out yet is so simple to solve, and is something I near always finding myself reminding people of. If you are keeping the fish, please KILL THE FISH, don’t leave it to suffocate on the ground. If its to be returned, handle with a damp cloth and return once any weighing or pic taking is quickly done.
Its easy to do and sets an example to everyone that you can fish sensibly and without needless cruelty to creature that suffocate out of the water.

Right, sermon over, hopefully the water will start clearing soon as the water temp I am told is a little above the average already and with luck the EAST will be ready in time for the hoped for spring squid run which was the topic of a chat I had on the wall when up there this weekend with one well known squidder. We both felt that last years run was a non event and hopefully the east can be ready in time to get the squid comp rolling (projected dates on the event section)with the event dependant on when they start showing.
The plaice comp will be re-arranged once we have both walls sorted and there are plans with the shop to start hosting some affordable friendly comps on the walls for which I may ask for a volunteer or three to help manage the events as & when we need mainly as a marshal to simply verify catches & make sure ppl are within any set rules. You may even be able to fish the event as well if we can have a few “spotters” dotted in amongst those fishing it.
I plan to get together with Mark to sort out what we need for each comp re wall space so that we can get the best out of the event without too much disruption to the normal running of the walls.

Well considering a chat I had with someone on Sat about why there arnt many blog posts this has turned out to be a long one that says little of whats being caught ! so until next time I post I will as usual bid you all ADIEU
F

Walls closed today.
The west will open SAT 7am til 5pm
On sunday very likely to be a delayed opening as the poor weather passes so as is ATM the west expected open at about mid-day Sunday , close 5pm.
Next week west open 7am til 5pm daily
Thats it for now so until later I bid you all ADIEU
F.

WEST wall , due to adverse weather conditions the west wall will be closed Tues/Wed/Thurs and Friday , will update nearer the weekend
F

Just a quick update from the WEST as ive no info on jet washing progress since the last update.

So, the west opened on Saturday and subject to conditions will be open daily 7am til 5pm. Things weren’t over pleasant this weekend, I guess a typical grey sky weekend for Early march. Water coloured and quite a biting easterly so not the greatest of time to be sat out in the elements on a beach or wall somewhere.

Plenty of dogfish about if you like that sort of thing and the usual whiting coming out.
There are some bass out there for those that know where/when to be looking for them and lures are doing ok for them. I’m guessing most looking here will be hunting plaice reports or even early summer species of which so far there is little signs.
The beaches along from the west are doing ok for plaice in numbers but over all the quality are still on the smaller and thinner side. those going what most term of keepers are as said mostly quite thin so if you plan to keep the “in size” Id say also have an eye on the thickness as many once cooked will have little flesh on them and seem mostly bone.
The west for now will continue with 7am to 5pm hours of opening and any changes will be posted here and on the marina facebook group.
Thats it for now, granted not much to say , so until next time I bid you all ADIEU
F

Well here we go with some positive news for a change ! yup something is going to open yayyyyyyyyy.
The WEST WALL main section will open on SATURDAY the 9th of MARCH and then open on a daytime basis only to start will, of course this is also subject to weather conditions permitting.
Initial hours open will be 7am til 5pm with longer hours to be announced at a later date.
The EAST will remain shut while work over there continues and when ready will be posted here and on the marina facebook group.
Thats it for now so I will as usual bid you all ADIEU
F

So here we go, Initial hopes for the WEST are/were a little premature so wont be opening this weekend.
What is required is that famous phrase of a proper walk through and H & Safety check , yea that old peanut…. anyhooooo

There is a plan afoot for a walk through at the beginning of next week. Now I am aware there is needed a rebuild s on the west at bays 17/18 that has taken quite a large level of damage, now it may be a case that said bay can and will be sectioned off as its unlikely to be fixed next week.

Needless to say if we can get the west open it makes sense to have it open but obviously public safety comes tops on any level of opening.
If and when we get the WEST open the extension will be closed as its expected to be the last thing jet washed and repaired.

Righty ho, so, there I go mentioning jet washing ! so, lets talk EAST wall.
Jet washing has not started yet for various reasons one of them it Dave having time and the jet washer that has been on the west, but the biggest reason that it is not underway as yet has been a problem with the water supply to the taps on the underside of the east wall that meant the supply has been turned off !

No as I understand from Dave and having spoken with Andrew Knight that the water supply is expected to be re- connected on Monday so, hopefully with the water back up & running so to speak that Dave will be able to start jet washing on Monday. Obviously jet washing is dependant on the weather playing nice and also Dave not being pre-occupied with something else but, all being good the jet washer will be up on the east from Tuesday.

SO anyone wishing to short cut the read >> START HERE<<<
Wall update H&S inspection on west Mon/Tues to determine when it opens
EAST WALL remains closed and jet washing starts Tues weather and water supply dependant.

Shop hrs currently remain shortened but hoping to change very soon.

Competitions are hoped to go ahead this year on both walls and I will be chatting with Mark about wall access, dates and details this weekend. Re plaice comp tagged for 17th March It is now looking at having to reschedule to a new date so as of today will remove the date on the event as I dont think the east will be ready in time.
Thats it for this weekend, hopefully I can add some more mid week next week.
thus its over n out from me and I bid you all ADIEU
F